How to create a positive attitude

“Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we’re here, we may as well dance”

This is one of my all time favourite quotes. Life can throw a lot of problems your way but maintaining a positive attitude will help you cope much better. My mum once said that “life is a sequence of good times and bad times, you just have to make the most out of the good times”. Making the most out of the good times sounds great but how can we cope better with the bad times?

Maintaining a positive attitude, that’s how.

Sounds easier said than done, I hear you. My last post talked about the benefits of having a positive outlook but how can we achieve this? How can we feel positive when we just don’t feel it? We can work at being more positive. Here are a few tips and tricks that you can use to change that frown into a smile 🙂

Tips to improve positive thinking

#1. Appreciate who you are.

That’s right. Very often we just don’t appreciate how amazing we really are. Don’t underestimate yourself, be aware of your achievements and everything that you are good at. If you find it difficult, make a list. Write down everything you like about yourself and things you have achieved. I bet that list is longer than you thought. And if you really can’t think of much, ask a friend or family member to help you. They will add things to the list that you may not have thought of but other people can see in you. Keep reading the list and add to it every day if you can. It is difficult to be negative when you have a list that tells you all the reasons why you are wonderful.

#2. Count your blessings.

This really translates into be grateful for everything you have and can do. Again, if it’s easier, make a list. Count all the things you can be thankful for, even the things that we take for granted. Be thankful that you can see, hear, walk and talk. Some people can’t do this. If you think life is tough, think of people who have it tougher and be thankful. Being grateful is a very calming and positive feeling and will help you shed any negative feelings.

#3. Turn negative thoughts into positives.

Not as difficult as it sounds. Most negative thoughts can be given a positive spin (politicians really know how to do this!), so if you’re having a bad day, think of it as a challenging day that you have overcome. If you miss your bus, think of the exercise you are getting. When you don’t like a person, try to find good points about them. It would be much easier to just leave it at that and dislike them, it might take quite an effort to find something positive to say, but try. It’s important that you make a conscious effort to turn a negative into a positive.

#4. Don’t worry about things that haven’t even happened.

Things may or may not go wrong. Mark Twain famously said ” I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened”. Why worry and be negative about something that may not happen?

#5. Meditate.

Meditation or mindfulness is a wonderful way of helping yourself. When you are meditating, you are clearing your mind of any thoughts, positive or negative. Instead you focus on your breath. While you do this, your mind has a well-earned rest, especially from negative thoughts.

#6. Be your own best friend.

Do something you love and makes you happy. Go to your favourite restaurant, go shopping, sing, dance, have that glass of wine, buy those shoes. Life is too short to dwell on the negatives and doing anything that makes you feel better about yourself and makes you happy will drive out negative thoughts as if by magic!

#7. Start your day with a positive quote.

This one is easy. You could print out motivational or inspirational quotes and stick them on your fridge so that you see them first thing in the morning. You can choose a different one for each day or just look at a selection of quotes. Go into their meaning and only choose ones that really speak to you. We all have our favourites and they tend to be special to us for different reasons.

#8. Do something nice for somebody else.

If only we all did this every day, the world would be a better place. Doing something nice for somebody else without expecting a reward is the best thing you can do to take your mind off your own problems and focus on something else. You will feel better about yourself and help somebody else in the process. A win win situation.

Stay positive

These are just some of the tips and tricks you can use to change a negative outlook into a more positive frame of mind. There are more things that you can do, in fact the list could be endless. Different things work for different people, so you can pick whatever feels right and what works for you personally.

If there are other techniques that you have tried, let me know in the comments, it would be nice to know what worked for you.